Leaked image points at Nokia Lumia "phablet" in the works, but we shouldn't be surprised

Nokia has been rumoured to be planning a Windows 8 tablet along with a "phablet" running Windows Phone. Both products have never seen the light of day, but we could well be getting closer to seeing a large Windows Phone from Nokia, if the above image published on Chinese website Weibo is anything to go by. We know many consumers will be looking forward to see just what could come of this, especially if we're to follow the route of the Samsung Galaxy Note.

It might not be that much of a long shot to see Nokia come to the table with a Windows Phone sporting a 5-inch or larger display, in fact we've heard that a tablet and phablet are in the works. We've just witnessed the manufacturer launch the Lumia 625, an affordable Windows Phone with a massive 4.7-inch display - the largest Nokia has produced yet. Could the company push the limit beyond 5-inches? Definitely.

We've got to remember that Nokia is attempting to cater for multiple groups of consumers. Those who strike bargains, who enjoy superb optics and even consumers who would just like every feature packed inside an attractive shell. The Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020 show how Nokia is prepared to release unique hardware that's not what we'd normally expect. From effective aluminium usage to a 41MP camera, the company surely has the innovation to try new things.

The Sina Weibo user who published the photo claims the screen size is around 6-inches, which is evident by simply looking at it. The Windows logo and accompanying keys are present, as well as the Nokia logo and multiple component windows. That's all we have for the time being, but it's safe to assume we won't see this device until the GDR3 Windows Phone update is available, introducing 1080p screen resolution support.

Nokia's strategy we're told is to have at least one high profile release every quarter, keeping the company is the press spotlight in a constant fashion. Not a bad plan. That means maybe tablet next quarter, phablet afterwards (think GDR3/Blue devices).

Remember to take this rumour with a pinch of salt, but we can see Nokia working on something. What would you make of a 1080p, 6-inch Windows Phone from Nokia?

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Why, why, why must it always be about having an even bigger screen that lets you do nothing new, but takes up even more space. Why can't we just have a really nice, small-screen Nokia Lumia (hell, even something the size of the L800 would be good!). Not everyone wants massive screens and enormous mobiles. Please, Nokia, genuinely buck the trend and make a small, decent smartphone. I can only think of one other mainstream, fruit-based manufacturer who currently does this, and they seem to be able to shift a lot of phones, so it can't be too bad an idea...

Im not really interested in a phablet , but im glad they are planning it
What will really grab my interest is the next breakthrough with the introduction of windows phone blue or maybe even windows phone 9
In other words om waiting for the successor of the Lumia 920

+1, I have one year of iPhone purgatory remaining before I can return to Windows Phone, without buying a full price phone. I am looking forward to a robust ecosystem and the succesor to the L920 I owned for 13 days in January.

Sign me up for a 7"-8" tablet from Nokia similar to the Acer W3 and running 8.1 Pro on a Bay Traīl platform. In fact, I'll take three and consider my Christmas shopping complete! Before Thanksgiving please....

I'd love to see a viable Windows phablet, and SIV size phones - even though I don't want either. I want viable products so I can find a vibrant and relevant Windows Phone product line when I return from iPhone purgatory in 12 months. I miss my L925.

This is great news for me. I've been hoping Nokia releases a "phablet" for a while. I watch a lot of YouTube and do a lot of browsing on my 920. A bigger screen and better specs is all I want. Not too interested in optics, but a beautiful camera is never a bad thing. Hope this is true!

1080 on a 5.5 or 6.0" device is ridiculous. Nokia's current 768 pixel width would be fine. On a 5.5" device that amounts to ~270 ppi and on a 6.0" device it's 248 ppi. The 267 ppi screen on a Galaxy Note 2 looks great. I'd rather Nokia focus on screen quality rather than pixel quantity.

Because going to 1080 on a 5.5" device is wasteful. A 1920x1080 screen has twice as many pixels as a 1280x768 screen. That means twice as much memory used for the screen buffer, twice as much work for the GPU (higher power usage), etc. What do you get for all that? Yep, bragging rights and microscopic details that require a magnifying glass to actually see. You would get far more bang for your buck if Nokia focused on display quality (deeper blacks, better color quality, higher contrast, etc.) rather than pixel quantity.

No.. I can see a difference in the GS4 screen when next to my 920, and its sharper.. And, the GS4 screen is bigger❕ So, if a devices has a 6 inch screen I would definitely want 1080p to guarantee that the screen looks at least as sharp as my 920's.. Go look for yourself, and if you can't see a difference then you should question your own eyes.. And as far as the other qualities you mention... This Nokia we're talking about. Do you think they would make a 1080p device with a screen that was not great in all the other areas as well? Come on dude,, have some faith in Nokia.. We're talking about NOKIA❕

At that size I want my apps to use the available screensize. You could even run Office in desktop mode on such a screen! Windows Phone apps aren't designed for such a large screen. Just imaginenusing the limited Office for WP on it, so much wasted space and potential! In turn Windows 8/RT isnt designed for such a small screen. 8.1 adds support for 8'' tablets but even that clearly isnt what its designed for.

IMO Windows RT and Windows Phone should become one OS. An OS with an interface that adapts to the screensize of your phone, tablet and even PC (its strange that Microsoft keeps pushing the current UI for PCs. They should offer a PC mode that puts the charms and other hidden UI elements on the screen). Windows 8 should have the same interface. Opening up possibilities for a super high-end phone with PC specs. The ultimate toy for businesses.

Hoping this is true. I really want a phablet from Nokia! 4.5 inches is ok but I want a bigger 1080p screen. I hope Nokia does it right and slims this thing down to around 8mm. The battery has to be a lot bigger than 2000 mAh and I hope they give us the 41 MP camera too..

Forget about if the image is fake or not. I think that the truth of the matter is that with the release of GDR3 we will be seeing some larger 1080p devices coming to market even if they are not this device in particular.
Personally I would think that 6" would be a might bit large (but doable), while a 5-5.5" screen would be much nicer for my own use, but either way I would love to get a larger device like this.
However (there is always an exception isn't there), screen size alone would not make a device like this particularly useful. We need to see the WP8 platform make quite a few changes to make such a device worth purchasing. Specifically I would like to see much better work applications and multitasking features added to such a large device. Let's bring winRT/8 style multi-app support to such a device. Let's bring more advanced features to mobile office (mobile Word does a true hack job on documents with advanced formatting). Lets bring some powerpoint creation/editing and a video output of some sort (either via cable or wifi to a computer) to WP8 so that we can use them to make presentations. Let's bring features found in programs like PC Remote and make them native in the win8/RT/WP8 platform. We need more ram for more multi-tasking, as well as better task management on the phone so that we can better decide what programs we want open at the same time. Let's add waccom support with a pen for taking notes, and have the capability to use it as an input for a desktop for design work. Windows still has a good name in the productivity world while Android is still very much a media consumption product, so I hope that MS starts giving some attention to the working community soon before Android really starts to take the market. I don't think that many people want a device this large simply to watch movies on and play mobile games... I mean, I hope it is good for those workloads as well, but it is the business market that is in need of real innovation right now and many will jump at the chance to ditch their tablets and laptops if they can pair down to a single useful device.

I sure hope one of these phones to appeal to different segments includes a physical/QWERTY keyboard. It's a crime that all Windows Phones sport virtual keyboards now. I realize that I'm in the minority, but as popularity of WP grows and Nokia goes after distinct market segments, we are a segment that NEEDS a phone.

And not some cheap phone with a keyboard. I want a high-end, business friendly phone. Happy to pay top dollar for it too, so don't skimp Nokia. If you want to also offer a cheap model for the tween texters, fine, but that's not my segment. I want the camera of the 1020 (but I'd be OK with the one in the 925/928), 32GB+ storage, preferably but not mandatory an SD slot for data (hell, it's going to be big with keyboard anyway, so go ahead and include the SD slot), AMOLED screen for better battery life. I'd happily pay hundreds for that on the day it launched.

And while I'll settle for any phone with physical keyboard, I'd prefer a portrait slider. For me, the Palm Pre and the Dell Venue Pro showcased the best form factor in the history of phones.

You say your in the minority...I say, extreme minority. Hate physical keyboard cus the buttons are always too small for my hands/fingers..also, the slider part and the keyboard are just two more things that can break on the phone. I've had two phones with a physical slider keyboard and the sucked...both had broken sliders within 1-2 years and the little buttons on the keyboard where no longer silent and made little clicking noises....
Not for me....
But I guess it could be good to have JUST ONE device to appeal to those BlackBerry users wanting to move to WP...

I think it's undeniably true that as a mechanical component, that's one more part than can break. But in my experience they do have a very low failure rate. My wife is still using the original Palm Pre I bought on June 6, 2009 when it first came out (I have since switched to the HTC Arrive Windows Phone and gave her my old Palm Pre). And those were the worst of the Palm Pre's -- the Palm Pre 2's had a much sturdier mechanism, but we're on Sprint, which never got the Pre 2, so I couldn't upgrade. She uses it daily for taking notes, making shopping lists, e-mailing pictures with attached notes, etc. It still opens and closes and types perfectly.

Similarly, I have had my Arrive for 2 years now and I use it constantly for writing full e-mails, taking notes in meetings, etc. The phone works as well today as it did the day I bought it. And how many people ditched their BlackBerry Torches due to mechanical frailty? I never heard about that being a big problem with them.

I don't believe that anyone does any serious typing on a virtual keyboard on a phone. On a tablet, I believe it, but on 3.7"-4.7" phone? Plus, if you're in a meeting, you generally don't want to have to look at the phone while taking notes (it's often considered rude, depending on the attendees). How the hell can you touch type on a virtual keyboard? And then, even if you could look at the screen, why do want 2/3 of the screen to be wasted with a picture of a keyboard?

So for serious typing pages of text per day, I think the MAJORITY of people who want/need to use their phones to do that (yes, that's still a minority of total phone users), would prefer a physical keyboard. I don't have particularly small hands (can palm a basketball) and have no problem with the keys. On a portrait slider, unlike a landscape slider, I don't use the pads of my thumbs, I use my thumbnails, which grip in the soft material. This enables typing flawlessly w/o ever bungling a key as fast as your thumbs can move. It's noticeably slower for me typing on a landscape slider simply because of the extra distance my thumbs have to move to hit the keys.

If you want better graphics it is needed.. Quad core chips have much better graphics processors on them.. Quad core isn't just about speed, speed, speed, and I sick of people saying WP doesn't need the best.

Right❕... People are so closed minded to just their own preferences... How would I sound going on a post about the 520 and commenting "I don't want a screen that small"... That would be pretty pointless of me right❔

6 inches hmm... To go from 4.7 to 6 is a bit much
Ever since leaving my titan for the 920, I've been clamoring for another ~5" device. It's the sweetspot for me. Anything larger is too much (I have a surface pro tablet after all for large screen viewing) and anything smaller isn't adequate enough. But hell I like too try new things so I'd def buy it even if it was over 6 inches. I'm a WP fanboy like that
so I'd def buy it even if it was over 6 inches. I'm a WP fanboy like that

Oh no pls no big screens..!! I thought Nokia also agrees to what Apple says that : 4" is just right to handle the phone with just one hand". To which I'd say even 4.5" of Lumia 920, 925, 1020 are very nice to hold and thumb reaches for screen corners diagonally without sliding the phone up or down.

The thing is i for one would want to buy a flagship device everytime but the whole trend these days is to make the biggest screen phone as a flagship device which is:
Hard to handle
Hard to talk with for long hours
Needs big pockets
& use for long enough.
Its in short is just not practical in all the situations.
And for their biggest screen phones are the only flagship phones ppl have to buy it and others like you buy for big screens, which is ok but big screen is something not ok for everyone in their daily life.

If they make small (4-4.5") phones as flagship and bigger(5-7") ones too as the flagship devices then not a problem but thing is there is only one flagship. And that's where it gets messed up for both consumers and makers

You could've made your point by not being rude with the use of words like Dumb...
Like I said not everyone wants BIG phones or not just SMALL(4-4.7") phones but Big phones are mostly bought because its a flagship device but if same config and features comes to both Big & Small then I've no issue but the trend is baised.

Do you know why the 920 has to be bigger than the 520? Because it has more features❕... It was already hard enough for Nokia to pack everything into a 4.5 device, and they had to leave things out like expandable memory.. Just imagine the difficulty they would have getting a 41mp camera on a device as small as you would like.. Engineering isn't magic, and if you want more useful features in a device it's going to be more substantial... That's just the way it is.. Laptops, desktops, cars, tablets, and pretty much all other machines, and electronics are like this.. That's just the technology we have today.. They are putting more features in devices than our component technology can keep up with, so the devices are going to get bigger for the time being... Once smartphone hardware tapers off, and components start to get smaller, then you will get 1020 features in a 520 package for those like you who prefer a smaller device... What you're asking for is just not going to happen,,, yet,, for more reasons than one.. Cost is another reason.....

Why don't you let us decide what fits comfortable in our hands❕... And, are you crazy?.. Why would you wish for Nokia to be like Apple and dictate what we should want❔.... Didn't you read the article?.... Nokia wants to make devices that appeal to a wide range of people. So when you see something that's not for you either move on, or be happy that others are going to finally get what they want.... Don't be selfish❕. Everyone doesn't have tiny hands like you.

Apple may say that, but it was reported that they are also testing large screens for their devices (engadget). It is only a matter of time that Apple jumps on the "phablet" (hate that name) bandwagon. Then when they bring it to you with a retina display, people will cry as to why other devices are not the same. 1080p is not just for playing video, it is also for more screen real estate. More icons and widgets on the screen at one time.

These devices look to be tablets with phone functionality as a secondary use. This picture to me looks bigger than 5" as well. I have a Note 2 and it looks bigger than its 5.5" screen.

bing translate:
ICTech Twitter account in China published leaked images, Nokia have mass production of the device and is equipped with up to 6 inch display. This will also make it into a right without a doubt, our guess is that this device will update Windows Phone GDR3 available around the end of this year. This will make a 1080p monitor looks like a must to design for such a huge screen.
Reading this, I'm hoping for 720p screen and out soon.

Sorry, but I still (barely) enjoy putting my 4.5 inch 920 in my pocket and 1080p res on a 5-6 inch phone seems pointless. Most stuff on the internet isn't even broadcast in that high of a resolution (720p is usually the max). I actually don't know of anything other than blu-ray discs that play 1080p video. Unless everything were being broadcast on our phones in 1080p, what is the significance? I would use a tablet from Nokia though. It needs to have full Windows 8, and a keyboard dock/battery like the Asus VivoTab, but hopefully a 4th Gen Intel Processor inside.

YouTube is 1080p, Netflix can stream 1080p on Android's, videos can be put to the phone that are 1080p. C'mon there's plently of stuff that plays 1080p these days... even porn sites.
The fact remains that there was 35 million phablets sold last year, this year its expected to be 45-60 million phablets. it's by far the fastest growing segment inside smartphones.

You've probably not seen a 1080p screen in person. My friend has a Galaxy S4 and it makes my 920 jealous. It's a gorgeous resolution and makes you appreciate your device even more. I'm pretty sure of Nokia offered a device to market with this res and at an attractive affordable price, you would be foamng at the mouth for it

Considering they just released a WVGA 4.7" phablet, who is to say this isn't a 720p tablet and will come out sooner. The Weibo posts suggests its likely 1080p for such a beastly sized screen, but doesn't say so categorically.

You must have seen all the Nokia hoopla about the biggest Nokia device ever; Nokia's current idea of big is 4.7". And the tech media are calling it Nokia's first venture into the phablet size.
I'd agree with you somewhat since Samsung and HTC might call that regular size (S4 5.0", One 4.7") and Samsung's phablet range seems to start above 5.5", however, just look over at Apple and you can see 4.0" is their new big size.

As long as they don't stop making high end phones with 4.3" or smaller screens I'm fine with phablets. I just get annoyed when you can't get a flagship device with a screen smaller then 4.7" (aka Android). There is a market for both, please serve both.

4.3"?
I say 4.0"/3.7" is the requirement to have a phone for everyone.
I intend to buy a WP8 phone after my Lumia 900.
I won't get a 5XX device. And I won't get anything larger than 4.0". And no, the 620 doesn't work (despite being quite awesome) because I intend to get the new phone next year, when the 620 will be hopelessly outdated.
If Nokia doesn't fullfill these requirements, I'll probably need to go for an Android.
And I bet I'm not the only one.

Good for gamers and those who read books or watch videos a lot. Since I'm not in either of those categories, only use my phone occasionally for those things, I'd prefer a device 5" or smaller. But the success of the Samsung Note line shows there's a market for these things, so I hope Nokia can compete. Good luck :)

Unless WP8.1 adds Wacom support, which is likely if they're opening up the system to phablets...
I'd bet phones released for GDR3 will be designed for WP8.1. Sorta like how the 920 has an FM radio and BT4.0, but it won't be useful until GDR2.

It's not just Wacom support that would be necessary, it'd need complete integration of all the features that Windows RT and 8 already do. At that point, if it requires a complete overhaul, you're better off with the more powerful OS anyway.

It can already report whether the click was caused by a touch, mouse click, or stylus tap. It can report whether stylus was inverted (eraser) or not. Right now it reports touch as mouse, but no one checks device type on WP currently because touch is the only thing. All they have to do is change touch to actually report as touch for WP8.1 which would be the minimum required OS for stylus. Then the app checks whether it's running on 8.1 or earlier and checks input device accordingly.

How is "Microsoft already has very good handwriting and pen support in Windows. They just need to include those components in WP8 and open the API to them" any different from "it'd need complete integration of all the features that Windows RT and 8 already do" exactly? ;)

At that point, if it requires a complete overhaul, you're better off with the more powerful OS anyway.

It doesn't require a complete overhaul is my point. All the pieces are already there. Windows Phone is the phone OS. I don't want a tablet with Windows RT. I want a phone. Therefore Windows Phone. Unless you're suggesting creating yet ANOTHER OS, which is just silly.

They already have WP8 running on NT kernel. They already have API support for styli. They already have a software package for handwriting recognition that runs on NT written. You catch my drift?

The yellow is the paint on the ground.
I think it's real, I just don't think it means much. Could very easily just be some prototype and not even ever make it to production. Or it's the initial production run of a new phablet. Could go either way.

Hmm maybe. But I still think this is fake. Or at least it's fake in the sense that it is not from Nokia (the logos on the bottom also look suspiciously coloured)
Also, there're something about the overlaying of the "phablet" in the image that doesn't seem right.

Its nice to have options and the ones who want it, great! I concur, 0 interest in this. Its too big to be a good day to day phone and too small to be a great tablet. That's just my opinion. Glad Nokia is covering all basis to directly compete with Samsungs products.

Big phones are not really all that popular in the grand scope of things. It is a niche market full of people who (like myself) want their phone to essentially replace their laptop/netbook. It is not for everyone, and it is not particularly convenient to carry it around... but it is quite a bit more convenient to carry around than a laptop at all times, and more useful than a tablet of similar size.
For those who want a high end device without a huge screen, just wait to the successor of the 920 (940?). The release of the 1020 or a phablet device does not replace the 920 as the 'flagship' device, these are merely (extremely cool) niche devices meant to attract a wider audience to the fold with some standout feature.

Bigger screen makes reading and browsing the web more enjoyable. The phablets tend to maybe 1/2 an inch longer and wider than a 4.5" phone. If you don't were skinny jeans or carry a tiny purse, the devices are easy to carry. You can also still use one hand if you adjust your grip a bit. Although reaching the top corner might be difficult and it's easier to drop.

That is because some company marketed aggresively that big phones are what the consumers need. There were days when compact mobiles were considered the hip thing. But those were the days of Nokia 8210.
Hey, does anyone remember what was the screen size of Nokia N900?

I think the conventional wisdom is that a Nokia phablet would eschew OIS+oversampling in favor of a Pelican imaging sensor. Main reason is that the Pelican sensor could fit into the ultra-thin form factor required of phablets.

Phablets don't need to be ultra thin, and nothing says they have to be completely flat on the back. They have no issue making a bump on the 1020, they can make a bump on the phablet. Plus the bump on the 1020 is about 4 times as big as it needs to be. Look how small the actual camera module is compared to the giant circle around around it. It's not even in the center. They just want to make it look like a camera with a circle taking up most of the top half.

But when it does release it will cost close to 45k and will take another 8 months to come down to 32k. If you're fine with that price you should wait for few months and use 7.8 for now. But if that price will disappoint you, and the fact that it might take till 2014 to actually be available locally in Indian market, then you won't regret buying the 920 now. Typing this on a beautiful yellow 920.....

I wouldn't expect to see this device in India for at least a year from now. Maybe this device will hit the market around Dec 2013 or Jan 2014, and it will take at least another 6 months from then for it to come to India. India is tier-3 according to Microsoft's and Nokia's calculation.

Yeah well, I kept 3 more months of buffer time. If it comes out earlier than that, very well. If you see closely, none of the much needed accessories of many phones have not yet released in India. The wireless charging covers, JBL power up speakers, wireless charging stands, fatboy pillow, car accessories, Purity Pro headsets and so on and so forth. None of these accessories are yet available. It's an absolute shame really. Sometimes I feel, have I really done justice to myself by buying a Nokia???

I could understand your frustration. What's more frustrating for me is that I don't get proper information about these from the Nokia priority shops. But that is my own experience. Does anyone else also have horrible experience with the Nokia shops?

I am afraid the experience in any Indian city isn't any different. To top it all, the technical support representatives don't even understand what you are trying to tell them. Technical Support of any company except that of Microsoft in India is laughable and insanely pathetic.

Give it to mee i want to bang it soo much, i hope it comes this october or septeber with gdr3, for the time being give me amber to my sexy lumia i need a sexy amber to bang it untill phablet comes with gdr3 plus nokias other bonus features, oh shit awesome, god u are so cute

Maybe fake. Maybe not. Anything but Nokia dabbling in this kind of stuff would be highly surprising. Now, whether it's something on the way into mass production, or merely a prototype they're playing around with, that's a very different question.

They'll probably come out with one...but I doubt the authenticity of this photo. Why? A clean room is called a clean room for a reason and things like cameras can't be brought in. So someone in China is going to risk what little they get paid to sneak in a camera of some kind, and then take a photo with their coworkers right there? And all just to "leak" something on the government controlled internet?